38 soldiers have died in Maidan Wardak province in Afghanistan following contact with the Taleban. 31 United States Special Forces troopers were killed along with seven member of the Afghan National Security Forces.

President Hamid Karzai expressed his deep sympathies and condolences to President Barack Obama and the families and relatives of the victims.

The United States Secretary of Defence, Leon E. Panetta, stated:

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of many outstanding Americans in uniform and of their Afghan counterparts earlier today in Afghanistan. Their courage was exemplary, as was their determination to make this a safer world for their countries and for their fellow citizens. We will stay the course to complete that mission, for which they and all who have served and lost their lives in Afghanistan have made the ultimate sacrifice. They and their families are in my thoughts, in my prayers and in my heart.”

The Secretary General of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in a statement:

“I am deeply saddened by the deaths of US service members and Afghan soldiers in today’s helicopter incident. My thoughts and condolences are with their families and loved ones.

“In this tragic moment I would like to stress NATO’s strong solidarity with the American and the Afghan people as well as with their respective Governments.

“Brave and committed men and women from 48 countries are working along side their Afghan counterparts, to make Afghanistan a peaceful and stable country. We honour their sacrifices.

“We are determined to stay the course, especially in this crucial period when Afghan and international security forces are working closer than ever to make transition a success.”

The International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) are conducting a recovery operation following the crash.